Ohio State football: Rod Smith misses team flight to Florida

Ohio State running back Rod Smith missed the team charter flight on Tuesday and is not with the team as it prepares for the Gator Bowl against Florida.

Bill Rabinowitz, The Columbus Dispatch

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Ohio State running back Rod Smith missed the team charter flight on Tuesday and is not with the team as it prepares for the Gator Bowl against Florida.

The redshirt freshman's status for the game and his long-term future with the Buckeyes is unknown. His absence from the team flight was a surprise. If a player does not fly with the team, it is his responsibility to get to the bowl site.

Smith saw limited action this season. The 6-foot-3, 230-pounder from Fort Wayne, Ind., had a chance early in the year to stake a claim for more playing time as Carlos Hyde's backup when Daniel Herron and Jordan Hall began the season on NCAA suspension. But he fumbled twice, including one late in the Toledo game that gave the Rockets recovered. Toledo drove deep inside Ohio State territory before Ohio State held to preserve the victory.

For the season, Smith ran 29 times for 116 yards and scored one touchdown. He played on special teams and briefly saw time in practice as a linebacker when injuries hit that unit.

Though Herron will graduate, Smith's chances for extended playing time next year are not a given. Blue-chip prospects Bri'onte Dunn and Warren Ball will join Hall and Hyde on the OSU roster.

brabinowitz@dispatch.com

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